Seventh Day of Christmas

December 31, 2023

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Luke 2:22-40

https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=570601676

| Centering Prayer |

This year,

the calendar gives us the opportunity

to gather for Sunday worship on New Year’s Eve.

Historically New Year’s Eve has held great significance for those of us

Who trace our roots back to John Wesley,

An Anglican Priest,

Who served as a midwife for the birth of Methodism.

Thus, this Sunday offers an excellent opportunity

for our church and others to live into a piece of our heritage.

Beginning in 1755,

John Wesley encouraged

gathering for worship

on New Year’s Eve

for what he called a “Covenant Renewal Service”.

Central features of this service are

remembering the past year

—something of a communal exam—

as well as recommitting to following Christ,

often using the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer.

Through this message of renewal

And walking in the path of our forefathers

Let us search for a balance of reflection and hope.

(With thanks to umcdiscipleship dot org)

…

Let us reflect.

In 2023,

Ask yourself

How have I put to practice my baptismal vows:

To reject evil?

To resist injustice and oppression?

To place our whole trust in Christ’s grace?

And, to nurture one another by teaching and example?

…

Evil follows us wherever we go,

Just as the devil followed Jesus into the wilderness.

Evil prods us with temptations

To do what we know is wrong,

To disobey God’s laws,

To not listen to God’s whispering voice that guides us along the way,

To not rely upon God’s strength to sustain our spiritual journey.

To deny the existence and threat of evil

Is to live in a delusional world.

Tasting evil’s temptation is like sticking your tongue into an electrical outlet.

Don’t.

Just don’t do it.

Ask yourself

“How have I rejected Evil this past year?”

Join me in my New Year’s resolve:

I will reject Evil,

with all my power,

with all my ability,

whenever,

wherever  

I may confront it.

…

Injustice and oppression are all around us,

Just as certainly as injustice and oppression assailed Jesus at every turn.

Racial and gender predigest confronted Jesus.

He told a parable about a mixed-race Samaritan

stopping to help the victim of a robbery and beating,

stopping to help when no one else would.

Oh, the scandal!

Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman at a well,

a serial devorcee,

in search of a drink.

The nerve of him!

Just when I feel confident

That I understand

the racial and gender environment in which I live,

The Holy Spirit slaps me with a cold-water wakeup call

That washes away my long held beliefs

and reveals my ignorance.

For me, understanding begins with listening.

In this past year

Have I, as an individual,

Have we, as a church,

Listened to the voice of

Victims of injustice?

The voice of the oppressed?

Have we lifted a finger to do something about it?

Anything?

Let us listen to indigenous peoples,

People who have immigrated to our land and neighborhood,

Families that flee violence, crime, and terror.

Hear the stories of women and children,

Human trafficking, exploitation, and prostitution.

Join me in my New Year’s resolve

To listen and learn

from our near and far neighbors

who are oppressed,

who are victims of injustice.

Maybe, just maybe,

May we be so bold to confront injustice and oppression.

…

Christ came,

first as a baby,

Born of Mary,

In a manger,

Delivered in Bethlehem,

Beneath a star.

Today, Christ has gathered,

we, who are members of his Body,

We, who are his disciples

gathered to worship God.

We, who are Christ’s body are

Dedicated to following his will and his example.

Thus, we proclaim God’s Word.

Thus, we pray.

Thus, we listen.

We go forth,

Our words and actions

Reflecting and revealing

Jesus Christ in our world today.

And, we look forward to Christ coming again.

How and when Christ returns remains a mystery,

Just as Jesus taught our apostolic saints

Who came before us.

Let us reflect upon 2023

When, where, and in what circumstances have we

Placed our whole trust in Christ’s grace?

Do we trust Jesus:

God incarnate,

God and human combined?

Do we trust that our sins are forgiven when we ask?

Do we trust that our salvation was given when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior?

Do we trust Jesus and his teaching?

To follow his example

To proclaim Good News?

To bring healing to a broken and estranged world?

To resurrect the dead and offer salvation to one and all?

Trusting God is daring.

Boldly dare this New Year

And place your trust in the grace of Jesus.

…

Beloved,

Join me in personal reflection upon 2023.

How have I nurture others by teaching and example?

I get it;

Not everyone is called to teach,

But everyone is called to live the example of Jesus.

When words fail,

Let actions do the talking.

The words and example of Jesus is nurturing,

A balm in Gilead,

The substance of love,

As a parent cares for their child,

As Mary loved her baby Jesus.

Have I followed through with a visit to the lonely?

Have I contributed the best of my expertise to inform and guide our leaders?

Have I given my money to the mission and ministry of the parish

so much I feel the pinch?

Let me, let us, be resolved to do better in 2024.

Teach what Jesus taught.

Live as Jesus lived.

Love and nurture one another.

Will you join me?

…

Dearly beloved,

Be filled with hope for the future.

Join me in the New Year.

Let us recommit to follow Jesus.

Let us join in prayer,

Reciting together the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer

As found in the United Methodist Hymnal, number 607:

“I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

Exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O Glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

John 1:1-14

Christmas Eve, 2023

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

John 1:1-14              

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”

| Centering Prayer |

I find it interesting

That the God who created the cosmos

Decided to get some “hands on” experience.

Why?

Why go through the trouble, the pain, the sorrow, the suffering

When a snap of the fingers would have done nicely?

The same God who wove the tapestry of the universe

Was willing to rend the heavens and step through.

The same God who acted with unlimited power and authority

Willingly chose to humbly submit,

Become wholly helpless and dependent upon others.

Life in the womb comes from the mother.

She supplies it all: food, nutrients, protection;

The warmth and love that only a mother can give.

The circle of care is extended at birth,

But only a little bit.

Responsibility rests largely upon the mother.

Men in most cultures like to make a big show of it,

But, in reality, the child looks to the mother for its every need.

The burden of responsibility lay heavily upon Mary,

Here, now, lay the creator and savior of the world,

Vulnerable, helpless, dependent.

I find it interesting that God chose Mary.

Mary, who?

A young, inexperienced, adolescent engaged in an arranged marriage.

Mary was poor,

From a modest Nazarene family.

When you have nothing,

Pride is the only substitute.

It is hard to be proud of the fact

That she was unmarried, pregnant, and with a shattered reputation.

It is really hard to be proud of the fact

That there was no doctor, no mid-wife, no assistance

Other than the supportive presence of Joseph

(yea, like I’m sure that was real helpful).

Where is Mary’s mother? Her mother-in-law?

Where were the other women in her life that

Could provide her with all the love and support necessary for childbirth?

Mary probably had nothing more than Joseph and

A childhood experience of watching animals give birth.

Yet, God took the risk

Was born onto a bed of straw

In a cold, damp cave,

Dug out of the rocks and cobbled together

for the purpose of feeding farm animals.

Think of the obstetrical dangers:

Women die in childbirth.

Babies can be born breach,

Or with the cord around the neck.

Think about infection, disease, and illness of infancy.

Yet, God took the risk.

The risk of

Infant and maternal mortality was very high,

Known to God from the beginning;

A hugely significant danger.

(According to Google)

“For most of human history,

Around 1 in 2 newborns died before reaching the age of 15.”

(https://www.google.com/search?q=infant+mortality+rate+0+AD&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS974US974&oq=infant+mortality+rate+0+AD&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRirAjIHCAMQIRirAtIBCTIxODU0ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)

Yet, God took the risk.

Modern wisdom would suggest that God postpone this folly.

If a thousand years is as a day,

As is written in 2 Peter 3:8,

Perhaps it would be wise to wait a day

To be born in the safety of Highland, Strong, Unity, or RGH.

Yet, God took the risk.

When you consider

the history of the universe was on the line,

The one responsible for the future salvation of the world

Had plans to test the waters of the human condition,

Wouldn’t it at least be wise to consider

Pre-emptive prenatal care,

A planned C-Section,

At a modern birthing center,

By one of the best obstetricians available?

Yet, God took the risk.

The future was less than certain.

Oh, in hindsight, we speak with certainty about God,

“Of course it turned out that way. Why wouldn’t it?”

But when it comes to predicting the future

Of God’s intersection with humanity,

We fail miserably.

God’s agenda is God’s agenda.

God’s plan is God’s plan.

Not ours.

God has made a sport of

out witting, out playing, and out lasting

Every human initiative.

God hasn’t made a habit of chasing the sticks thrown to fetch.

And God isn’t likely to change for us now.

The baby Jesus faced danger at every turn.

It began with his birth, but quickly escalated.

In a chilling nod to Gaza and Israel today,

Herod slaughtered all the children

Sending the Holy Family fleeing into Egypt.

Danger waited around every corner for Jesus.

The wrong word,

The disrespectful look,

Bloodthirsty crowds,

A military occupation,

Authorities with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

God took a whale of a risk.

Humans with free will are about as predictable

As an Iranian mullah,

An alcoholic out of booze, or

A grizzly caught in a trap.

Yet, God took the risk.

God took the risk to bridge the gap between heaven and earth

And to, once and for all,

Cement not only a sacred past

But establish an eternal future for every one of God’s people.

God took the risk of a less than certain outcome

For your behalf, and mine.

God took the risk of a less than certain outcome

For your behalf, and mine.

I understand that it is hard to believe.

It is hard to believe in much of anything in today’s world.

When humankind is so cruel to one another,

Where terrorists assault villages and farms,

Concerts and festivals,

And soldiers assault trench, bunker, and tunnels.

It is hard to believe

When some lives appear to be valued more than other lives,

Where suffering has become the common denominator.

The wounds of war.

The wounds of death.

The wounds of hypocrisy.

The wounds of violated trust.

Wounded people often find it hard to believe.

It is hard to believe

Given the current status of organized religion;

Schism and decline,

All the while preaching about a peaceful, loving god.

It is hard to believe

when surrounded by the massive indifference

Of people who just don’t want to be bothered

By the suffering and injustice taking place right in our own backyard.

Nothing to look at here.

Move along.

Just move along.

I understand that it is hard to believe in Jesus Christ.

What I’m suggesting this evening

Is that just as God took a risk for you

So, too, should you take a risk in God

By extending to God your belief.

Belief isn’t certainty.

It is not being certain about heaven, the virgin birth, or that Jesus is the Son of God.

No pastor, priest, or pope is able to speak with certainty;

Present company included.

The only language we clerics know

Comes from the Word, the Sacrament, and experience.

Belief isn’t certainty.

I’m able to share with you about the God of my experience.

No one is able to make you believe the god of their experience.

If you want what I have,

Come with me.

Let us journey together.

Neither is belief proof,

Which particularly upsets me, because, as you know,

I am a child of the enlightened scientific era.

My discipline is in mathematics.

Math demands proof.

I can no more prove to you the divinity of Christ

Than I can jump over the moon.

Belief in a baby is daring.

It’s risky.

It does set you apart from the rest of the crowd,

The faceless masses of the dull,

The self-interested,

The endless consumers of retail garbage.

Belief in a baby makes you colorful,

A trend setter,

One who is ready and willing

To advance faith beyond where is has been

To what it can become.

Belief in a baby named Jesus

Makes one filled with hope.

The name Jesus means Savior.

Our hope is that Jesus will save us from the trials and temptations of this earth.

Our hope is that Jesus will save us into eternal glory.

Belief in a baby places our hope in God

And not in anything of this earth

Or in our less-than-perfect selves.

Ultimately, belief in this divine birth

Means that we are ready to match God’s risk even up.

Better than even up.

Give a little to get a lot.

We don’t need much;

have you seen just how small a mustard seed is?

That’s all the faith we need to take

A little risk.

A little belief.

That’s all the baby Jesus is asking.

Amen.

Luke 1: 26-38, 46-55

December 24, 2023 | Fourth Sunday of Advent

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Luke 1: 26-38, 46-55

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

Then the angel departed from her.

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

| Prayer |

An angel visited Zechariah

To tell him

His wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son, John,

Who will be great.

Who will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Who will turn the hearts of the people,

To make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

“I am an old man,” the unbelieving Zechariah protested,

“and my wife is getting on in years.”

I am too old to get a new testimony.

“I am Gabriel.

I stand in the presence of God,

And I have been sent to speak to you

And to bring you this good news.”

Luke 1:19

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

Zechariah wondered.

For his disbelieve,

The angel Gabrial made Zechariah mute,

Unable to speak

Until the day

these things occurred.

…

The tone went off,

indicating a police emergency somewhere in the city of Miamisburg. 

The police officer with whom I was riding that night swore under his breath

since he only had a half hour left to his shift.

“Forty-one,” the radio squawked. 

“Just our luck, it’s in our beat,”

the officer said as he picked up the mike. 

“Over time tonight.”

“You have a car v train personal injury accident

at the Linden Avenue Chessie railroad crossing.”

It didn’t take long for us to get to the scene.

Sure enough, there was a three-engine freight train stopped,

blocking the crossing. 

We drove down the service road

to the lead engine,

our red and blue revolving flashing lights

reflecting off box cars, steel rail, and oil-stained ballast.

We found beside the lead locomotive

the engineer and conductor doing their best

to comfort a sobbing woman and

her two screaming, crying children. 

Scattered around us were the remains

of what once had been a rusty old pickup truck.

The story spilled out of this poor woman;

obviously a mother

whose household was at or below the poverty level. 

Her husband had just bought this second-hand truck.

This woman had taken their “new” truck out

to pick up her children at her sister’s house. 

On the way back, the clutch failed and

she coasted to a stop right on the railroad tracks. 

Not knowing what to do,

she and her children threw on the four-way flashers

and went to find help.

You know the rest of the story.

We took her down to the station,

got a statement and

encouraged her to call her husband. 

Mom sat across the table from me

Tearful and beside herself

While the children were exploring the police station. 

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

Just call him and tell him what happened,

I counseled, safely behind my clerical collar.

She hesitated and slowly dialed the old rotary phone.

“Honey,” she started carefully,

“the kids and I are alright.

We’re down here at the police station.

Your new truck was hit by a train.”

I could hear the screaming from the phone.

“You smashed my brand new fifty-dollar pickup truck?

How could you!”

He was filled with volcanic rage,

But she and her children were alright.

…

A portion of the Gospel for this morning

Is called the Canticle of Mary,

Or, more simply,

The Magnificat.

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Luke 1:46-47

Because of the special significance of Mary,

The mother of Jesus,

for our Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox sisters and brothers,

We, Protestants have de-emphasized this passage.

We haven’t ignored it.

We just haven’t highlighted it.

St. Luke develops an interesting storyline

In his opening chapter,

Serving as a wonderful prologue

To the birth narrative of the second chapter.

Six months after the elderly and barren Elizabeth became pregnant,

this same angel, Gabriel,

came to an engaged virgin,

named Mary,

who lived in Nazareth. 

Like Elizabeth

He told her that she, too,

would become pregnant,

but that her pregnancy

would be the result of the work of the Holy Spirit. 

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,” he said,

“and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;

therefore the child to be born will be called holy,

the Son of God.”

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

Mary certainly wondered.

Mary set out,

Went with haste,

To a Judean town in hill country,

Visiting the house of the muted Zechariah and her cousin, Elizabeth.

The child leapt in Mary’s womb.

Quickened,

As known in some cultures.

Leapt for joy, Mary described

As she began her song of praise.

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

…

Luke reports

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months

Then returned to her home.

Luke 1:56

When Mary became pregnant,

both she and Joseph were in quite a pickle. 

It didn’t make any difference how she got pregnant. 

The fact remained that she was unmarried and pregnant. 

Mary and Joseph had one of three choices.

They could

1) go through the procedure of a legal divorce,

required at that time even for those who were engaged. 

The only problem

was that Mary would have been stoned to death as an adulterous. 

Um. No.

2) they could quickly marry

and take the ridicule of family and friends

when their child was born. 

The only problem with that was that

they would have been shunned by the community

for such a scandalous deed.

Sigh, and groan.

What’s behind door number 3?

The only other possibility was that they could

3) marry and then move to another town

where they wouldn’t be known and have their child.

Think a little deeper.

Consider the doubt

That must have grown.

“Was Mary really being faithful?”

Joseph probably thought to himself. 

“Maybe I was only dreaming about the angel Gabriel. 

Maybe Joseph snuck into our house late one night

and I was just too sleepy to remember,”

Mary may have thought. 

“After all, the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem,

More than 90 miles south of here,

not here in Nazareth. 

Certainly, we have no reason to go to Bethlehem.”

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

(Beginning to sound familiar?)

Yes, this morning we find Mary in quite a pickle. 

Both she and Joseph would have to leave their homes in disgrace. 

Certainly, they would have to be married,

even though more than ten years separated their ages.

Mary would have been feeling much the same

as that woman who had just had her husband’s pickup truck smashed by the train. 

“Oh my, what am I going to do?”

“The children and I are alright,” the mother told her husband.

“My soul magnifies the Lord,” Mary proclaimed,

“and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

A donkey carried her to where the star rested,

To a stable in Bethlehem.

…

I suspect life serves up

for just about each of us

Moments when we are forced to ask

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

“I am going to pray out loud,”

I thought to myself.

If I’m talking

The medic will know I’m still breathing

And my airway is clear.

“Lord, Jesus Christ,

Have mercy on me,

A sinner,”

I repeated hundreds of times

To the tune of whirling Mercy Flight blades

As I was flown as a patient

on the air ambulance

from Geneva to Strong Memorial Hospital.

The flight medic eyed me.

“What are you doing?”

he yelled,

Leaning close over my face.

“I’m praying,” I replied

As loud and as forcefully as one lung would allow.

“Oh,” he said to me,

Giving me the look of suspicion.

You know the look.

He gave me that look.

I’m praying.

What am I going to do?

I’m going to pray.

The Spirit of the Lord came to me

And told this country preacher to pray,

Bold and out loud

With breath I didn’t have,

With a Spirit given to me

By a merciful God above.

…

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

Many ask this question during Advent.

Hospice and overnight vigils.

Death and mourning.

Loss of job.

Separation and divorce.

Addictions. Substance abuse.

Sick kids and unbearable co-pays.

Accident and disability.

Unexpected pregnancy and loss.

You name it,

There are many reasons for lament

To paint our Christmas blue.

Disbelief leaves us mute,

Without witness or testimony,

As Zechariah experienced.

Mary knew a better way.

Even though Mary was a seemingly insignificant,

impoverished member of the Jewish community in Nazareth;

even though Mary faced almost certain public disgrace;

even though Mary would be forced to leave her home;

and even though tremendous doubt clouded their past and their future,

God came to her! 

Mary knows a better way.

God comes to the poor. 

God comes to the unassuming. 

God came to the last person who we could ever expect,

Gave her a new witness,

a new testimony,

and made her the mother of our salvation. 

…

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

When life runs you over

Magnify the Lord!

Confess and pray.

Christ came.

Christ is come.

Christ will come again.

Use what voice the Spirit has given you

To make a new witness,

A new testimony,

That brings glory to God in the highest,

That proclaims peace,

That ushers in justice,

That weaves a masterpiece of love

Of a Son given,

A Son denied,

A Son risen victorious over sin and death.

Never mind the look.

That’s what we do.

This is who we are.

Watch.

Wait.

Is it the angel Gabriel?

Is it the Spirit of the Lord?

Is it the bold witness of an unsuspecting girl

That is ready to burst

And break life wide open?

Come to Bethlehem and see.

Amen.